Apple has restored the ability to gift apps from the iPhone and iPad App Stores, something that was previously possible but went missing when iOS 6 shipped last fall. Mark Gurman from 9to5Mac spotted the triumphant, if stealthy return:

To gift an app, a user needs to click the action sheet button and then click the gift button. Users can even specify when the application should be delivered (up to 90 days advance).

The redesigned iOS 6 App Store was a bit of a mess at launch, but has been improving steadily since then. It's certainly possible it simply took Apple until now to get everything stable enough to start adding back features.

What's even more interesting is that Apple was able to add a feature to the Share Sheet over HTTP. (There was no firmware update, the new gifting option simply showed up in the grid.)

App Store is a web-based app, gifting is an entirely Apple-controlled process, and its possible the core functionality was all there just waiting to be surface. In other words, this might have been a unique or at least rare set of circumstances. But, the more Apple can update iOS without having to push out new versions, the better for everyone.